The elimination of violence against children (VAC) is a challenge in all countries and in every society, race, class and culture. It is a violation of human rights, upheld in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which prescribes that every child has the right to survive, grow and be protected from all forms of violence. All children have the right to be respected for their human dignity, physical and psychological integrity and to equal protection.

This report presents the most current data on four specific forms of violence – violent discipline and exposure to domestic abuse during early childhood; violence at school; violent deaths among adolescents; and sexual violence in childhood and adolescence. The statistics reveal that children experience violence across all stages of childhood, in diverse settings, and often at the hands of the trusted individuals with whom they interact daily. The report concludes with specific national actions and strategies that UNICEF has embraced to prevent and respond to violence against children.

A Working Document on Child Rights in the Global Compacts. Supported by the Global Partnership, UN agencies and NGOs worldwide, "Child Rights in the Global Compacts: Recommendations for protecting, promoting and implementing the human rights of children on the move in the proposed Global Compacts" is a working document intended to serve as an advocacy tool used to engage governments and other stakeholders in adopting a common approach to protecting children on the move.

Data hold more potential than ever before to shape the lives and living conditions of children. This is why it is crucial that UNICEF approach its data work with an understanding of both what it means to unleash the power of data for children and our own role in that process. By defining key principles for our data work, this strategic frame¬work is the first step in doing just that. It is designed to provide a broad overview of how UNICEF thinks about data for children and to lay out initial steps – already underway in numerous countries – for reorienting our investments.

This brief summarizes results from an analysis of the impacts of child marriage on a few selected health outcomes, specifically early childbirths, maternal mortality and intimate partner violence. It does not include analyses for other aspects of women’s health that are likely to be affected by child marriage to various extents, such as maternal morbidity, obstetric fistula, female genital mutilation/cutting, sexually-transmitted infections (including HIV and AIDS) and psychological well-being.

Inequities in child mortality across and within countries remain large. At the country level, the under-five mortality rate ranged from a high of 133 deaths per 1,000 live births to a low of 2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016. Many countries still have very high rates – particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, home to all six countries with an under-five mortality rate above 100 deaths per 1,000 live births. Hypothetically, if all countries had reached an under-five mortality rate at or below the average rate of high-income countries – 5.3 deaths per 1,000 live births – the toll of under-five deaths in 2016 would have been 0.7 million. In other words, almost 5 million deaths (87 per cent of the total under-five deaths) could have been prevented in 2016. Reducing inequities and reaching the most vulnerable newborns and children as well as their mothers are important priorities to achieve the SDG targets on ending preventable child deaths.

Practices like child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) remain an obstacle to the full achievement of better health for children and adolescents. CEFM is also a human rights violation that endangers health and growth, disrupts education, limits opportunities for empowerment and social development, and increases the risk of exposure to violence and abuse.

A 10 per cent reduction in CEFM could contribute to a 70 per cent reduction in maternal mortality rates and a three per cent decrease in infant mortality in individual countries. Getting married at an earl y age also leads to higher fertility rates, unwanted pregnancies, a higher risk of complications during childbirth, limited educational advancement, and reduced economic earning potential for girls and wome

This study aims to assist parliamentarians in their efforts to end CEFM through legislation, and to improve the health of children and young girls in their countries.

Childhood TB has been called a “sentinel event” because it indicates failure on two fronts. First, it signals an ongoing transmission, since the child likely contracted TB from someone close to him or her and who has likely remained untreated. Second, it indicates a wider failure in the system, since it points to the lack of preventative therapy that could have easily stopped the child from developing TB in the first place.